Baseball stars take aim at Safeco

SEATTLE -- His cap backward, Ichiro Suzuki got a quick hug from Ivan Rodriguez, bounced into the cage for batting practice and sent the first pitch over the right-field wall.

The huge roar from the hometown crowd at Safeco Field on Monday only confirmed what every other All-Star already knew:

It's the Year of Ichiro!

''This guy is one of the top five players in the world,'' New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza said.

And in an All-Star game full of intriguing subplots, Suzuki is the main reason fans in more than 200 countries are likely to watch Tuesday night.

Not to see what else Roger Clemens can throw in Piazza's direction. Not to hear A-Rod get booed at his old ballpark. Not to enjoy the tributes to Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, either.

''I'm pretty sure that every TV in Japan will be tuned into the game,'' NL starter Curt Schilling said.

''One of the things a veteran pitcher told me a long time ago is that as an opposing pitcher, you have the ability to shut up a stadium,'' he said. ''I have the ability to shut up a country for a few minutes.''

Schilling will get his chance when Suzuki leads off the bottom of the first inning for the American League.

''My philosophy is, I see the pitch I can handle and I hit it hard,'' Suzuki said through an interpreter earlier in the day.

This from a serious student of the game, whose Zen-like approach leads him to observe: ''Each hit has its own character.''

A seven-time batting champion in Japan, the 27-year-old Seattle outfielder leads the majors in hits and is tied for the top in steals.

Suzuki is hitting .347 for the best team in baseball and leads the AL in runs scored with 76.

''He was in the wrong league there,'' said San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds, who played against Suzuki on postseason tours. ''Now he's in the right league. He was too good to play over there.''

Suzuki also piled up big numbers at the polls. The rookie was the majors' top votegetter in fan balloting for starting spots in the All-Star game.

''I did not expect the honor, so I would not have been disappointed if I did not make the All-Star team,'' he said.

Now, he's drawing a crowd wherever he goes.

''It is Ichiro-mania here,'' Kansas City first baseman Mike Sweeney said as a swarm of cameras surrounded Suzuki during a morning news conference. ''People walk in and we all just point over there.''

Rarely has there been so much buildup for one player in the All-Star game.

Pedro Martinez got it in 1999, and responded by striking out former MVPs Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa and Jeff Bagwell -- and Mark McGwire -- in two innings at Fenway Park.

Hideo Nomo backed up the Nomo-mania hype by pitching two scoreless innings in 1995. Bo Jackson lived up to the ''Bo Knows'' ads by becoming the MVP in 1989 and Dwight Gooden, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, struck out the side when he relieved in 1984.

Count Cincinnati first baseman Sean Casey among those interested in getting a first-time view of Suzuki.

''I'm looking forward to seeing Ichiro, because everybody is looking forward to seeing him,'' he said. ''It will be interesting to see him take batting practice and things like that.

His style is different. It's stuff you don't see.''

Such as the Sumo-style squats he does before hitting. Or the rice balls, made by his wife, Yumiko, that he eats prior to games.

Not to mention his Gold Glove-caliber fielding, rocket arm and daring baserunning.

And, his hitting.

A line-drive guy, Suzuki's ability to pull a ball deep when necessary prompted baseball to consider adding him to the AL squad for Monday night's home-run derby, putting him in territory reserved for the likes of Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez and Jason Giambi.

All that from the player with only five homers this season and the slightest build n the AL team -- he's listed at a mere 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds.

Montreal outfielder Vladimir Guerrero has seen Suzuki, sort of.

Guerrero likes to fool around on his Sony PlayStation, fiddling with a baseball game.

''A lot of times I set it up with the Seattle Mariners as the opponent,'' Guerrero said through an interpreter. ''Suzuki does pretty well against me.''

Suzuki will join Seattle teammates Edgar Martinez, Bret Boone and John Olerud in the starting lineup.